Songbird Battle Network - Bootstrap
by Valentine Meikin
Summary: It all began with a message - 'Hello World'... Then the internet happened. However, In the world of Megaman Battle Network, how did it all begin? A alternate take on the NT Warrior franchise! Rated T for some mild violence and strong language. One of the names has been deliberately omitted from the Characters to hide a plot point. Also, Corrected to reflect Bootstrap cast.
1. File 0 Sector 0

**MEGAMAN NT WARRIOR**

**SONGBIRD BATTLE NETWORK**

**Chapter 0.0 - Before they were born**

**DISCLAIMER  
I do not own the creation of the internet, Sonnet, the existence of Net Navis or Battle Network Rockman, also known as Megaman NT Warrior.  
I do own most of the Songbirds, however, certain members of the group belong to me, Solowing or Capcom Entertainment.  
Yes, this chapter is short, but well, this covers the early, and we mean EARLY days of the network that the Navis call home. If the phone number below is real, and you own it, I don't own that either.**

**ARPANET Node 1**

The hastily recompiled transfer programs looked at the blocky bytes of data that they were meant to send to Node 2. Several research programs were standing round checking various readouts and hastily erected scanner applets.

"You five men shall be the first men to cross the great divide and prove that we CAN send data from one computer to the next without connecting them directly. For many data cycles, we have been unable to meet with other programs except when tape drives or similar are joined in a local network. The node over there is not connected to us by the robust and well-tested network protocols you're used to. For that reason, only one of you can cross at once, and we'll wait for confirmation of it working." A military command program announced, "If you decompile, please make sure your data isn't lost. We would prefer for our users to upgrade and make the future go well for us."

**Real World**

The scientists watched as the 'Hello World' message began to type, cheering as the first letters appeared, only for it to cut out, incomplete, a error message appearing, but, for the researchers of ARPANET, it was a success. They'd completed proof-of-concept, and now they could really start creating a truly secure global networking solution.

**Years later**

**Internet BBS Network Transfer Node 93**

"Welcome to Node 93." The node administrator said to the transfer program that arrived. Unlike the ARPANET Node, the BBS NTN was a hive of activity, with only the tangle of wiring high above them showing quite how crude it still was. "I've got a data packet for 1-928-9837." He said, for the administrator to look through her list of area codes, before nodding. "Please go to Gate 4 and hand in your index code to the Gate Admin."

The program headed to the right gate and was soon heading to the next transfer node along the slow journey. The node administrator sighed. Even with the fact she wasn't working for the military any more, she still wondered when they'd retire the slow and glitched transfer systems they had to deal with right now, as she got the message a data packet got misplaced somewhere heading towards her node cluster.

"We are sorry about the lost data packet, but promise that we'll endeavor to discover where the program delivering it went." She dictated to the node that called her, before setting up a local network scan, managing to find the program and smiling. They didn't have endless supplies of these simple utility programs.

**198X**

Sonnet woke up as the compiling process ended, looking several other programs were stepping out of where they'd been compiling. "Welcome to the Internet. Here is your IP address and your computer assignment. You shall be part of a musical program along with Melody here." A administrative applet said, as a dark-haired program waved at her from nearby, "You may be required to send data between computers, so do not lose your IP address."

Sonnet ran her hand through her pink hair and smiled up at the applet. "Thank you, and I shall do my best!" She declared, as she looked at her version number proudly... Sonnet v1.0.


	2. File 0 Sector 1

**RIP Megaman - December 1987 to March 2011**

**DISCLAIMER - I do not own Megaman, apparently nor does Keiji Inafune, or I wouldn't be saying such a terrible thing as what I say below. Megaman belongs to Capcom, and I make no profit from this story.**

**DEDICATION**

**I found it hard to write Songbird, Bass and Roll and my other Megaman projects after that March. Megaman was 23 when he was cruelly killed by Capcom, his two newest projects killed off and people suspecting everyone except Capcom cares about him.**

**So, right now, I dedicate this story to Rock Light, Hub Hikari, X and Rock Volnutt.**

**Until the end, Rock, Hub, X, you were, and always will be to your fans, Mega Man...**

**MEGAMAN NT WARRIOR**

**SONGBIRD BATTLE NETWORK**

**Chapter 0.1 - Bass Is NOT a fis**h

* * *

Far away, a young boy scowled at the combat training applet he was meant to be training with. "But, Father..." He moaned, for a man in a lab coat to appear in a floating window. "Was ist es, Bass?" The man to ask. The young boy sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "My name is Forte, Father, and I don't know why I'm being trained to fight... Soprano isn't, and she's only a hundred builds younger than me!"

"Du wirst mein Meisterwerk, Bass werden. Sie müssen lernen zu kämpfen, so dass Sie diese erbärmliche Programme von meinem Rivalen zusammengestellt zerstören kann." His father said, Forte sighing. He didn't want to be anyone's masterpiece, and he definitely didn't want to terminate other people's work.

"I'm outta here! Gospel! Here boy!" He said, a small purple wolf applet running into the room and licking his owner's face as he bent down, "Get Soprano and we'll go see the 'evil' programs that Father keeps telling me to destroy."

"Holen Sie sich zurück! Halt! Stop! Sie verräterische kleine Göre! Ich werde dekompilieren, wenn Sie nicht wieder tun, um hier nun mit der rechten!" The man ranted, Forte blowing a raspberry. The man was as likely to decompile him as Soprano was likely to fire a weapon at non-corrupt data.

* * *

"Welcome to Network Transfer Node 293, How may I... Erk." The administrative applet said, as she saw who was stood in front of her, "My my, Forte and Soprano. Has your father ordered you to delete me?"

"No, I don't go out to delete things WITH my sister present." He said, raising his buster and blasting a errant corrupted construction applet, "I just invariably end up doing so. Has someone figured out why over half the Mets on the network are infected with viruses?"

"Probably the fact they're one of the few applets who spend all their time on the network." A girl in a white and pink outfit, a young tiger applet at her side, offered, "Hi, My name's Sonnet. Cute wolf, suits you well."

"Gospel isn't cute. He's a engine of mass destruction just waiting to strike. Now, Reggae, That's cute. Especially when you see my sister trying to fly with it." Forte said, for Soprano to sniffle. "You meanie!" She snapped, "Maybe I'll not summon Reggae next time you almost drop through a corrupted gateway..."

"Still, What are two notorious combat applets doing at a transfer node? I'm delivering some new music sheets for one of my friends on the Light system." Sonnet said, for Forte to smile. "Need a escort? That kitten doesn't look like it is able to fight a Met, but my wolf has a really nasty bark..."

"Sure, but I think Gospel would make a terrible escort. And he's a lot less cute than you are." Sonnet said, smirking as she got her gate number and headed off before he could answer. "Dammit! Soprano, Did you get her gate number?" Forte snapped.

"Forte and Soprano, Sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S..." Soprano sang, for him to glare, and she replied, "No, I was too busy watching her flirt with you."

"Why do I even try?" Forte snapped, for him to shrug and then get a random gate number so he could go delete Mets for the rest of the day, Soprano summoning a small black bird-shaped applet that turned into a jetpack as it reached her and following him. He would get one of them killed one of these days...

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonnet arrived at the right node cluster, watching as a young construction applet left Roll's node, and chuckled, scanning his app ID, before heading inside with the music. "So, What were you doing with the latest revision of Gutsman?" She called out to her friend.

"He's my boyfriend, OK? My user has already told me to leave him be... He's too basic a program, and I should pick a proper program for a boyfriend." Roll said, sighing while Sonnet comforted her, "I wish I had you for a user, Sonnet. You're a great singer, you understand me..."

"I wouldn't tell you to dump Gutsman... Yes, they've got the simplest AI subroutines outside of the Mets going, but that doesn't make their subroutines worthless... Oh yes, I had a interesting encounter..." Sonnet said, removing her helmet and running her hand through her short hair, "I met up with Forte and Soprano from the Wily subnet."

"Yeah, right... Sonnet, The day someone faces down those two and comes away without a core dump routine being needed, the net will hang..." Roll said. "What would you do if I started dating Forte?" Sonnet asked, dead serious.

"The day you become Forte's girlfriend, and no-one gets killed in the process, I'll officially change my application type to a singing applet." Roll decided, the two of them shaking on it, before she left. A few days later, Roll heard a delayed report of a network transfer node going dark between her subnet and Sonnet's. At the same time, She discovered, on the way back from her node, Sonnet's task status was marked 'Process Hung'...

* * *

In the middle of the crashed gateway, Forte was depicted frozen defending one of the gates of the devastated transfer node that he'd so recently left, Sonnet stood frozen, half-transferred, in the doorway.

Back at the Wily subnet, Soprano waited with Reggae, Gospel and Sonata, not wanting to hear her programmer talk about how he'd made a backup and would bring back her brother. She knew that this 'Bass' program wouldn't be Forte. He was frozen in a moment when the net hung...

And she vowed, that day, she'd learn what really caused that hung process...


End file.
